The Beatles, Liverpool Sites Visit

This is the first of 3 reports from my day in Liverpool on Tuesday (18th August). This report is about my quick tour of the Beatles sites (and a few other landmarks) in Liverpool.

Before we headed to Everton and Liverpool’s football grounds (reports will follow shortly) we visited some of Liverpool’s landmarks.

It was the first time I had visited these places, though my Dad has been many times before. The main place we visited was the “New” Cavern on Matthew Street.This was originally opened in April 1984.It Occupies 50% of the original site, and it was re-built with many of the same bricks that had been used in the original club. The idea was that the new design was to resemble the original as closely as possible.

The site of the original Cavern is now marked with a “mock” entrance which displays the history of the club and photographs from the time.The Beatles made their first lunchtime appearance at the club on Tuesday 21 February 1961 with their last occurring on 3 August 1963. In all The Beatles made 292 appearances at the club from 1961 to 1963.The club closed in March 1973, and was filled in during construction work on the Merseyrail underground rail loop.

The sculpture of John Lennon outside The Cavern Pub just apposite The Cavern was unveiled on 16 January 1997. I had my picture taken here.On the 14th December 1999, former Beatle Paul McCartney returned to the New Cavern Club stage to play his last gig of the 1999.

I also had pictures infront of the famous Liver Buildings, the Eleanor Rigby statue and even a Ken Dodd statue in the Liverpool Lime Street train station which he only unveiled in June.